As Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn) in Fast Times at Ridgemont High was proud to declare, surfing is not a sport, it's a way of life. The same parallel can be drawn to the Volkswagen/Audi scene where diehard fans travel great distances to attend car events on either coast.
This bi-coastal rivalry, the same found in import drags and gangsta rap, has given rise to friendly competition between the East- and West-coast car crews; each striving to put on the best events. Indubitably, the beneficiaries of this contest are the VW and Audi fans for whom these shows exist.
Without a doubt, if you're on the West Coast, or one of those dedicated souls who enjoy driving, you'll want to check out New Dimensions' Charity Motorsports Show, which had it's 10th running this past Mother's Day at Moffett Field in Sunnyvale, CA, 40 minutes south of San Francisco. The event once again benefits Second Harvest Food Bank, which provides food to needy people in the area (http://www.secondharvestsjca.org/index2.html.)
While most people only attended the show and autocross on Sunday, the event weekend actually kicked off the day before at New Dimensions' nearby Santa Clara, CA business for the official pre-show sale, where everything offered by the company was on sale. I suspect more than one sale shopper was busy that night in the hotel parking lot installing their new bounty.
For those not in the hotel parking lot installing their parts, New Dimensions held an indoor Kart competition and dinner party at Speedring Kart Racing, also in Santa Clara. The karting,which required pre-registration, cost $35 (a $60 value,) but the food was free.
The big event took place once again at the historic Moffett Field, both inside the giant dirigible hanger (I'm not sure if they were zeppelins, dirigibles or blimps, but the word is cool.) On what would have been aircraft parking taxing pavement was used for the autocross. Not having been to every ND show, I'm not sure if this was a new addition, but it certainly wasn't there the year before, and was a welcome change from the insipid music booming from the hooked up show cars. Inside, there were a couple of bands playing music for the crowd.
In addition to the autocross and show, ND's show always features a number of sponsors that contribute to the show's success by providing enthusiasts face-to-face contact with the companies from which they buy parts, and knowledgeable brains to pick. This year's sponsors included KW Suspensions, HPA Motorsports, Bob Lewis VW, Eurospec Sport, european car, Speedring, Neuspeed, Futrell Autoworks, Robert Bentley Publishers, APR, Autotech Sport Tuning, CEC, Midknight Motorsports and many others. APR once again brought its chip-tuning equipment to burn chips for people on the spot. Maybe it helped one or two win the autocross.
In 2003, New Dimensions will put on its 11th Charity Show. Look for a news item and show schedule in an upcoming ec issue.